Human
by Black Alnair
Summary: It only takes them three years, two hundred fifty-nine days and eight-point-five-sixths of an hour to get it right. Spock and Gaila friendship story. Spock and Uhura origins romance though.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Trek. It owns me. And I don't even profit.

Chapter 1 – An Agreement on Terms

The late afternoon light filtering through the window was weak and the young Orion had to lean close to the glass to make out the small font of the well-worn dictionary gripped tightly in her left hand. She needed a distraction from the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing – her stomach was lurching as though an energy wave was rippling through it. She had paged through the beginning of the volume, knowing that the Terran word she was looking for wouldn't be there but she was still on the As. She squinted as the sun tilted even lower in the sky. The top of the page now read "access." She flipped a few more pages and perused the column of words. Usually, she would use the middle finger of her other hand to help her scan the minute font but her right arm was currently occupied with clutching her rebelling stomach. "_Ad nausem_," she read out loud. "To a sickening or excessive deg – _uh_!."

She groaned as her stomach hit warp twelve and lowered the book so she could grab her mid-section with both arms. "Well, that's true enough but I wasn't looking for a _modifier_."

"I believe the noun you are looking for is nausea," a voice supplied.

"A stomach distress with distaste for food and an urge to vomit," Gaila recited without looking at the dictionary or at the speaker. "That sounds about right."

"Thanks," she added as an afterthought.

"No thanks is necessary," the other person replied as he stepped closer. The tips of his boots edged into Gaila's downward line-of-sight. This view was soon replaced by a steaming cup. "I suggest you drink this."

Gaila eyed the offering with caution. The last time anyone here gave her anything she ended up like _this_. She tried to tilt her head up to get a look at her attendant, but her stomach gave another lurch and she had to close her eyes. She was a woman of instinct so she had to trust it now. The man's voice sounded even and calm, though not quite kindly like that of the fatherly trader who had taken her in as a young girl. Still, the warm vapors of the drink seemed to be settling her stomach already. With effort, Gaila reached out for the mug. "What is this?" she sighed as she inhaled.

"A special Vulcan tea blend. It induces tranquility."

"A Vulcan…?" Gaila's eyes snapped open. The slanted eyebrows, the severe haircut and the emotionless façade were unmistakable. "Huh…a _Vulcan_." She could not help lick her lips as she looked him up and down. "Nice," she said, drawing out the word.

Spock suppressed a sigh. He never did something as undignified as sigh but he was always tempted to. Though he had been a resident of Earth for 3.11 years by now, the number of salacious looks he received from fellow cadets and officers continued to amaze him. It was a wonder that some species could carry on and advance the way they did when they were so preoccupied with physical relationships. "Cadet, do you always vocalize your thoughts?"

Gaila did not blush but rather, smiled at her indiscretion. After all, she was who she was. "Yeah," she said nodding. "My clan mother used to scold me for thinking out loud. She said I could reveal secrets and place myself at a disadvantage by being so careless. But I think _best _when I can work through my thought processes vocally. In any case, most traders don't speak Orion and even if they did, what are pheromones for anyway?"

The Vulcan blinked in response. Gaila supposed this was the equivalent to a shocked expression on most other humanoid species. "I would advise you to control this habit," he said after a moment.

"Vulcans would," she replied as she took a sip of tea. The liquid was still hot and burned the roof of her mouth. "Oh sweet Zeos, that hurts!" she muttered in Akritirian.

_Fascinating. _He did not speak Akritirian but he recognized the curse. His second-year roommate had made it his goal to learn unsavory words and phrases in every possible non-Terran language he could manage. Spock did not see the logic of pursuing such an unmanageable and unfocused goal but he did admire Brian's tenacity. At this time, it had become unexpectedly useful in identifying an unknown exclamation. It made him wonder though what motivated the Orion to learn Akritirian – its speakers were from a planet located in the Delta Quadrant, far away from where Orion was in the Beta Quadrant. However, Spock did not ask her, only registering his curiosity with a raised eyebrow.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you were amused," she exhaled.

Spock cocked his head to the side as he regarded her. They should probably start. It was his error that he had failed to introduce himself properly. He remedied this by simply stating, "It is Lieutenant Spock."

Gaila had been given a quick lesson in Starfleet etiquette prior to her arrival so she knew what he meant. She came to attention and clipped out, "Yes, sir." But before she was quite finished, she was tilting over, her stomach protesting her decision to stand. He moved forward, swiftly and smoothly grabbing the mug of hot tea in one hand and steadying her with his other hand on her arm. Gently, he lowered her back into her chair before presenting her with the cup again.

"Thanks again," she mumbled. "Sir," she added as she looked up at him.

Spock nodded and stepped back, straightened and then moved his hands behind his back. "You did not have to stand, Cadet. I was merely introducing myself. I assume your nausea is a side effect of the pheromone-inhibiting injection Starfleet Command insisted upon."

"Yeah," Gaila nodded but immediately regretted her decision to even move her head. "I _told _them I could handle my pheromones _myself_."

"It is a common misconception amongst other species that Orions cannot."

"It is an _excuse _to justify their own actions."

He frowned, thinking about how he should proceed given her opinion on the matter. He did not necessarily disagree with her but he could not wholly agree with her either. There was just too much bias on both sides for him to come to a satisfactory conclusion. He settled on saying that much. "Possibly, Cadet, but there is not enough available data for an accurate assessment."

"Convenient, isn't it, Lieutenant?" Gaila snorted before she was forced to clutch her stomach again.

"Well, it seems these injections would be inconvenient for you," Spock mused as he observed her. "I will speak to the Academic Board on your behalf. Perhaps they can persuade Command to change their decision."

"Really?" Gaila looked up at his stoic face. "Who _are _you, by the way?"

"Lieutenant Spock."

"Yes, you mentioned that but why are _you _here and not a medic?" She took a drink of the tea in her hands. Stomach down to warp ten perhaps.

"I was instructed to come here. I can only assume that you are Cadet Gaila, my new…" Spock hesitated. Two days ago, Admiral Archer had stopped him as he was exiting a meeting with Captain Pike and asked him to mentor a new cadet. That is, ask was the word the Admiral used. Command was how Spock interpreted it. Humans and their euphemisms. 'I think you two would be a good fit,' Archer had said and walked off, only to shout over his shoulder. 'I'll have my secretary send you the info.' The info turned out to be a single name, a room number, and a date and time. And when he had arrived, he had found a sick Orion bowed over in a hard back chair. He had immediately called the medic he had seen leaving the room and inquired about her state. Learning about the injection, he decided a cup of tea was in order. "Charge" was the word Spock finally settled on.

He watched as Gaila opened her eyes wide. She seemed to think this situation was as absurd as he did. It was unfortunate that Starfleet Command did not agree.

"Wait a second!" she exclaimed, waving an arm. "_YOU _are my mentor – the one who is supposed to guide me through the human environment here at Starfleet. _YOU! _You're a Vulcan!"

He feared as much. Orions were even _more _emotional than humans. "While I agree this arrangement is misguided –"

"Uh, _deranged_?" Gaila interrupted. "I am the _first _Orion ever to enter the Academy, I have had minimal contact with humans, I was _promised_ a guideto human behavior since Starfleet is infested with humans and instead, they inject me with some drug that inhibits my natural processes, that gives me _nausea_, and then to add insult to injury, they give me a _VULCAN_?"

Gaila had started to stand as she raged on, forgetting about her pain, but the moment she was on her feet again, she wavered and collapsed against Spock's chest. "Ow, that's hard." She sniffed, "You smell nice."

_Orions_, Spock thought, freely rolling his eyes since no one could see him.

"Cadet Gaila, smelling me is inappropriate."

"According to humans or according to Vulcans?" she asked, looking up.

"I have only seen domesticated animals sniff each other."

"Okay, fair enough," Gaila said as she backed up and fell more than sat in her chair. "I apologize, Lieutenant, but this has been a disorientating experience."

"No pun intended, I suspect?" Spock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Gaila retorted, squinting up at him. She thought he actually was. She had never known Vulcans to be intentionally funny before. "What is the logic of it?"

"To relieve tension," Spock supplied.

"Well, of course you would have a logical answer, wouldn't you? So, Guide-to-Human-Life, now what?"

"First, we shall get you settled in your quarters. Then, I will talk to the Academic Board about your medication. I agree that pheromone-inhibiting injections are unnecessary when you can self-regulate and moreover, have an incentive to self-regulate. During that conference, I will also suggest that they reassign you to a human mentor. I apologize – I would have done this before if I had realized you were non-human like me and my role as mentor was as you described. I must warn you, however, that Starfleet has a…tendency to stand their ground on matters already decided."

"Humph, I bet. Wonder why they gave me you anyway?"

"I can only conjecture." Sometimes, he did wonder how Command could be so obtuse but he kept these thoughts to himself. There was no reason to present such a disparaging image of Starfleet to a _literally_ green cadet. He was the son of a diplomat and he would acquit himself as such. "However," he continued, leaning his head to the side. He had found this posture made others feel more comfortable around him, though he had not tried this method on an Orion before. "It seems likely that they believed you would feel more at ease with a non-human as your guide. Even though I may not be the best guide with regards to human behavior, it would be reasonable for them to believe you would relate to a fellow alien."

"_Suurre_, I can agree with that, but…" Gaila gestured between them and Spock knew what she would say. He was thinking the same thing. "Vulcans and Orions! I mean, the only thing we share is the Beta Quadrant. We're on opposite ends of the spectrum. We're like Earth day and night. Look at your _hair_. Look at _my _hair." Gaila grabbed a handful of her fire-red curls for emphasis. "I can _trade _on my hair. You can only offend with yours."

"Are you quite done, Cadet?" Spock had the impression that he would need to mediate at least 14.8 minutes longer than usual.

"Pheromones are my greatest assets. Do you even have pheromones? What were they trying to do? Create sexy logic?"

Spock felt his lip twitch at her remark, as outlandish as it was. "Cadet, as I have said before, this arrangement was poorly construed but those at Command are…so…" How could he even be diplomatic about this?

"Human," they said at the same time.

They paused and looked at each other, surprised that they agreed. Gaila smiled. She thought even if she were stuck with Spock, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He _did _smell nice. She laughed – she couldn't believe she managed to keep that to herself. She was learning.

***

**Nyota will arrive in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all those who put in the effort to review or added this to your alert. I appreciate the feedback!**

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own this. Still don't profit from it either.

***

**Chapter 2 – Hot**

The Board rejected Spock's proposal to switch mentors without forwarding it to Command. However, they permitted Gaila to self-regulate her pheromones under Spock's supervision after he detailed how incapacitating the injections were for her and signing an affidavit stating that Vulcans were not vulnerable to an Orion's power. "Of course they aren't," one of the Admirals muttered as Spock turned to leave. Spock did not reply but he did arch an eyebrow as soon as the doors slid close behind him.

He then made his way across the grounds to Gaila's dormitory. The semester would not officially begin for another week which meant the quad and halls were still mercifully empty. He suspected that since Gaila was the first Orion at the Academy, her early arrival was meant to facilitate her introduction to humans…by a Vulcan.

Spock had not been assigned a mentor while he was a cadet. However, he did have an informal mentor in Captain Christopher Pike. Early in his third year, he had submitted an application to serve on the _Exeter_ upon graduation. It was the most prestigious ship in the fleet and rarely took fresh graduates. However, Pike had been impressed by Spock's record and scheduled an informal interview at his favorite diner. Spock tried pancakes for the first time and the two of them remained at their booth for 4.63 hours playing 3-D chess. After Spock declared "checkmate," Pike had stood up and offered him a position on his ship. "I need to get another chance to beat you," he had smiled. Ever since then, Pike would leave a communiqué for Spock whenever he was planet-side. Pike still hadn't beaten Spock at chess while the Vulcan had worked his way through every non-meat item on the menu.

Spock nodded as he reviewed his relationship with Captain Pike. He decided that starting such a ritual with Gaila would be appropriate. He could write some detailed summaries for her to read over their meal. Perhaps they could observe humans interacting from the restaurant window. He continued to mull this over as he knocked on the door of Room 8 in Dormitory 6.

Gaila answered the door naked.

Spock quickly looked at the ceiling. It had never been so interesting before.

"Cadet, you should be clothed."

"Why?"

"Starfleet Regulation 45.021, title 34, section 167.8, paragraph 2 states that a member of Starfleet should be in uniform at all times while performing his or her or its duties. Starfleet Regulation 332.491, title 11, section 23.5, paragraph 5b states that cadets are considered 'on duty' while attending class."

"But the semester hasn't started yet."

Spock noted that these dormitories had a stucco type ceiling. His dorm room had a flat plain ceiling. "That is accurate. However, you should still be wearing clothing. Humans generally do."

"I heard there's a nude beach nearby."

"You are not at a beach."

"Okay," Gaila laughed. "You win. But geez, you look like you've never seen a naked woman before." Then, Gaila realized that Spock probably hadn't. "Oh!"

"Pardon?"

"You've never seen a naked woman before."

"I have," he clipped. Bothered that he felt the need to respond in such a way, he decided to look at her but carefully kept his eyes above her neck. "However, you are my…mentee. In normal mentor-mentee relationships, one does not see the other naked. Nudity is generally reserved for romantic or marital relationships."

"_Or _for recreational purposes," Gaila countered, crossing her arms.

"Well, rules of common human decency dictate that when you answer the door, you should be clothed."

"Well, when you put it that way," Gaila said, rolling here eyes. "Hold on, let me put on a robe, I guess."

"I suggest your uniform."

"You would!" she cried from deeper in the room.

Spock looked up and down the hall. Thankfully, it was empty. He walked in and allowed the door to close. As Gaila got ready, Spock studied the stucco on the ceiling, pondering whether there was a discernable pattern. It was probably a good thing that he had a plain ceiling – this one seemed to present a troublesome puzzle for him.

***

Gaila sat naked on her bed, flipping through her dictionary. Spock had been called away to help with some programming difficulties. It was a shame – they only had two days together before he was pulled from her side. Spock had said something about a ritual that she now wanted to know more about. She hadn't been fully listening when he first mentioned it. A land mammal with a large tail had run across the grass at that moment and then practically flown up a tree. Gaila had immediately turned to her book bag to dig out her handy dictionary when Spock had noted it was a "squirrel" and answered her other queries.

Now she idly wondered what kind of ritual it would be. Vulcans were such a secretive race – did they dance? sing? She knew they had musical instruments. Her adopted father had sold some. She wondered what other possible rituals Spock could have been thinking of. She ruled out orgy.

As she was considering this, the door of her room slid open. "Spock?" she called hopefully. She sat up and through the glass panel that separated the sleeping quarters from the study area, she saw a girl with brown skin. "My roommate!" Gaila cried. She had forgotten that the rest of the cadets could move in now. "Hi," Gaila said, jumping up and running over to embrace the girl. "I'm Gaila, your roommate. I'm so happy to meet you. We're going to be _best _friends. Wow – you're skinny though. You would be more aesthetically appealing if you consumed more nutrients. Has anyone ever told you this?"

The girl did not seem so enthusiastic to meet her. She pushed Gaila off of her and clipped out a sharp "no" as though she was offended with Gaila's honesty. Gaila frowned – Spock had told her honesty was an admirable goal. "And you're naked!"

"Well, if you're going to take offense at stating the obvious…" Gaila responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Ugh!" the girl cried, spinning around and walking out the door.

"Hey, I didn't even get your name!" Gaila said, following her out. The girl did not respond. She continued marching down the hall in long angry strides. "Well then!"

"Wow."

"Oh, I know that one!" Gaila said, turning to the speaker on her right. He was a young, fresh-faced cadet with sandy hair. "That is an interjection used to express strong feeling, as in pleasure or surprise."

"Well I'm _pleased_ to meet you," he said, looking her up and down. "You're hot!"

Gaila tilted her head at that. San Francisco was actually a bit cold for her taste but she disliked clothing so she decided to make due with the cold. Suddenly, she remembered what Spock had said about standing at the door naked. "Oh, I am not supposed to be standing at the door naked. Would you like to come in?"

***

It was the first day of the semester and Gaila was leaving her warp engineering class. The instructor was not much to look at but the material was what Spock called fascinating. She was so excited to read about the new core technology that she almost missed seeing Spock as she crossed the quad. He had his head tilted down towards a cadet who was talking animatedly with her hands. As she got closer, she realized it was her roommate – Nyota Uhura. Gaila frowned – what was _she _doing speaking to Spock? Spock was her mentor, not Nyota's. And she had never seen her roommate like this – Nyota always had a sour or angry expression when she was around Gaila and if she wasn't having a hissy fit, she was silent as a pheromone overloaded male.

Gaila marched over to them and when she was in hearing distance, she called, "Spock! Spock! Spock!"

The Vulcan lifted one of his eyebrows and Gaila bounded over with a wide smile. "I think humans like to have sex with warmer species," she said once she was in front of him.

This caused Nyota to huff in indignation and walk off.

"Oh, hey there, Nyota, I didn't see you!" Gaila called after her.

"You are familiar with Cadet Uhura?" Spock asked in that serene way of his. However, his other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"Oh yeah, she's my roommate. What was she talking to you about anyway?"

"From the tone of your voice, it sounds like there is discord between you and Cadet Uhura." Spock had thought it wasn't even _possible _for Gaila to dislike someone or something. Other than pheromone-inhibitors, that is. While their relationship was still new, Spock had already observed her emotionally react to many things and she was invariably enthusiastic. Of course, it was not possible for any species to respond positively to every potential stimulus that they encountered but Spock had to struggle more than usual to maintain his countenance at Gaila's obvious dislike of the other cadet.

"Oh, there's discord alright."

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked, learning forward.

"You seem concerned." Gaila felt pleased at this.

"I would not wish for you to have an unpleasant rooming experience. I remembered having difficulties with my roommate my first year, and it made adjusting to Academy life more complicated."

Gaila frowned. "Well, I have you so I'm not so worried. I wish you had a Spock too."

"I believe that would be…strange."

"True. But everyone else has been nice so far. They like my skin color!" she says brightly, becoming even greener than usual. She waves her hand to the side. "It's just Nyota. She's so…" Galia reached for her dictionary. "Oh, I know what is it – the other cadets say she has a stick up her ass worse than a Vulcan." Gaila looked up at that. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it. But they think she's –"

"Uptight."

"Yes, uptight. That's it! I don't want you hanging around with her. You need to loosen up as it is. You know, hang ten."

"Hang ten?" He queried.

"You know, you've been living on Earth longer than I have!" Gaila huffed. "I guess I'm going to have to teach you a thing or two," she said, now smiling at the thought. "When a surfer hangs all ten toes on the edge of his surfboard while riding a wave, he is 'hanging ten.' But in slang, it can mean to loosen up, _dude_." Gaila put up a fist but extended her thumb and pinky out, shaking it.

"I do not understand why 'hang ten' would come to mean what it has in slang terms. The position of 'hang ten' as you describe it seems like a difficult maneuver for a surfer to achieve, that requires considerable skill and proper timing. I cannot imagine the surfer would be 'loose' at all while he is attempting to achieve this feat. It is most illogical." Spock said as he walked beside Gaila, his posture as straight and stiff as ever with his hands clasped behind his back.

Gaila sighed. "Well, what do you expect? Humans."

***


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **ST is not mine.

_Thanks for all the kind reviews. Some people have noted that Nyota seems a bit harsh - I will admit she is drawn a little thinly but I will also submit to you that she is viewed through Gaila's lens. Anyway, it lays the foundation for character development. ;) Nevertheless, I still welcome whatever thoughts you have on her or any other part of the fic - whether it is criticism or otherwise. Thanks! And enjoy!_

**Chapter 3 – Someplace Special**

"That's not fair! You can't do that!" Nyota charged into the room, threw her PADDs on the floor and threw a blanket over Gaila's naked form.

"Hey! I like being naked!" Gaila protested, tossing the blanket on the ground.

"You can't do that!"

"Oh yeah, you want to see?" Gaila cried. She scrambled to a standing position on her bed and started doing jumping jacks. "See me naked, look at me, I'm naked!"

"That is _obscene_! And I wasn't talking about your exhibitionistic tendencies! I'm talking about Lieutenant Spock!"

Gaila stopped her teasing. This was serious. "You stay away from him."

"Well, I have no choice! He says he cannot interact with me until we –" Nyota wildly gestured between the two of them, "resolve our differences."

Gaila smiled as this. Spock was so loyal.

But Nyota was not done. She was only beginning. "I can't believe you are using your pheromones to get people to submit to your will!" she barked. "It is completely unethical and it violates Starfleet Regulation 384.19 –"

Gaila cursed colorfully in Akritirian. The _nerve_! "You have no grounds for making that accusation!"

"On the contrary, I have plenty of evidence. There's _always _a different male in here. Practically everyday! It's bad enough you use your-your…_abilities_…or whatever you would call them to lure them in but to manipulate a Vulcan –"

Gaila would not take anymore of this. She jumped off the bed and stood nose-to-nose with Nyota. "You apparently don't know anything about off-worlders. Vulcans are immune to Orion pheromones. He's my friend."

"Well that would be a first!"

Gaila pushed Nyota who stumbled back into the divider. Gaila was slightly surprised at herself but then Nyota propelled herself off the glass and pushed her back. She was not as strong as Gaila and when Gaila only stepped a few paces back, Nyota grabbed the Orion's hair and twisted.

Gaila gasped – it wasn't that painful, physically, but she couldn't believe Nyota would do such a thing. Instead of fighting back, she grabbed Nyota's PADDs and threw it out the open window, aiming for the fountain outside.

Nyota screamed in dismay and ran out to salvage them. Gaila chased her out, shouting, "I'm going to make sure you will never ever get the chance to talk to him again!"

She was shaking her fist naked in the hallway when someone gave a wolf whistle. Gaila, for once, was not in the mood and returned to her dorm room.

***

"We should find our own diner though." Gaila rubbed her hands together in anticipation. She hadn't been this excited in weeks. Ever since the disciplinary hearing between her and Nyota, she had felt what Spock had termed as 'dissatisfied.' Gaila found she was dissatisfied with the meaning of the word but she was too listless to flip through the dictionary herself and find a more suitable one.

She looked over at Spock now who was seated with his legs crossed, his hands resting on his outturn knees and his face tilted down towards where she was reclined on the grass beside him. She suspected that Spock had brought up the ritual again to distract her – or, to get her out of the room with Nyota. The Board showed some reluctance in expelling both girls and eventually voted against it so they were fortunate in that regard. However, Gaila didn't feel so fortunate when the Board announced as part of their punishment, Gaila and Nyota would have to room with each other for their remaining years at the Academy. They were not permitted to rotate out no matter the circumstances. Gaila also had to work on retrieving the data from Nyota's PADDs while Nyota only had to apologize for pulling her hair. Gaila had been fuming – she _understood _that humans might not have known what a cultural offense it was to pull a female Orion's hair but they barely gave it more credence after she explained it. Good thing Spock had been there, guiding her out with only a nod to Nyota.

"The other cadets talk about this place called Denny's." She liked the name of the restaurant – it sounded friendly. Unlike another place that some cadets had mentioned as well. An IHOP's. That sounded like a children's game and children usually did not make good food.

"It is illogical to reject this diner without trying its cuisine first. Also, Denny's is part of a chain. Surveys have consistently shown that restaurant chains serve inferior food in comparison to independently-owned establishments."

Spock was not looking at Gaila anymore. He had his head tilted towards the sun and his eyes closed. It was a rare warm day in the fall. However, he could hear her sit up from her reclined position and dig into her book bag. He opened one eye and looked at her from the corner of it. She was pulling out her dictionary.

This was a good sign. Gaila hadn't perused her dictionary in a while – perhaps since the disciplinary hearing. He knew she was deeply disappointed with the results of it, especially after she explained the cultural offense that Cadet Uhura had committed against her. Spock always had difficulties discussing cultural differences and had come to expect humans to misunderstand him even after he explained them. He understood Gaila's dissatisfaction and as illogical as it was, he was disappointed for her too.

Before she paged open the book, he explained, "While a chain can refer to a series of usually metal links or rings connected to or fitted into one another, it may also refer a series of things linked, connected or associated together. A restaurant chain is thus a group of enterprises of the same function under a single or coherent ownership, management or control."

"Like the Federation?" Gaila suggested.

"An imperfect simile but it will suffice."

"Aren't all similes imperfect, Lieutenant?"

"One could argue that."

Gaila laughed and Spock felt his lips quirked up in response to this show of glee. "Well, I'm not interested in engaging in pointless arguments. I have had enough with my roommate! I want to try restaurants! And I think we should give other places a chance! Anyway, that diner is special to you and Pike. I want my own special place with you."

Spock opened both eyes and looked at the Orion next to him. He raised one eyebrow but only said, "If we must."

"We do!" Gaila smiled broadly. Sometimes she had to restrain herself from hugging Spock. She knew he would tolerate it but it was disrespectful to his nature so she only squeezed his upper arm affectionately. And even then, she made sure no one was looking. Well, she saw one person looking – Nyota. She was far across the lawn, under a tree, but Gaila saw her. After going through Nyota's files as part of her punishment, Gaila knew why Nyota wanted to talk to Spock so desperately. The xenolinguistics major had already decided on her thesis – Romulan dialects – and while there were no Romulans at the Academy, Vulcans and Romulans were cousins. And of course, the only Vulcan around was Spock. Well, tough luck, sister because she was not going to let Nyota get close to Spock just to use him. It didn't matter if Vulcans and Orions were nothing alike, they were the best friends that she and Nyota would never be.

***

As the semester got under way, Spock and Gaila's schedules kept conflicting. Instead of finding their special place, Spock and Gaila met in the mess hall. Even then, it was not on purpose, scheduled ahead of time. Gaila would see Spock across the room, sitting by himself with a PADD in hand, and she would pick up her tray and walk over, leaving a disappointed group of male cadets.

Today she saw Nyota seated at the table behind Spock. "How pathetic – trying to inch closer to Spock," Gaila muttered under her breath. Gaila gave her roommate a pointed look before she dumped her tray down dramatically.

"This is not special."

"I believe you would find it fits the definition of a ritual," Spock observed, glancing up from his PADD.

"It's still not special," Gaila pouted, stabbing her banana with a fork.

"I believe most humans do not use utensils while eating bananas. They also do not consume the peel."

"Do I look human to you?" Gaila raised her eyebrow in imitation of one of Spock's favored looks.

"No, you do not." Spock inserted the prongs of his fork in a zucchini slice. "I believe, however, you have been practicing how to look like me."

"We all must have aspirations in life, Spock." She smiled at the Vulcan but her smile caught someone else's attention.

A broad-shouldered cadet sauntered over and slid into the sea next to Gaila. "Hey, beautiful."

Gaila's smile widened. She knew that adjective in at least 28 languages and she was starting to learn all its variations in Standard as well.

"Why don't you share some aphrodisiacs with me instead of with this pointy-eared walking computer?"

Even though Spock never showed any outward signs that he was offended by such slights, it did anger him. He would breath deeper and try to organize his emotions but this time, he was distracted by the interesting shade of color Gaila's skin was turning. She looked as though she was holding her breath and went from bright green to bright blue in 3.48 seconds.

"Aphrodisiac?" she asked in a strained voice.

"A substance that arouses or intensifies sexual desire," Spock offered, tilting his head in interest at what was about to happen.

"Like?"

"Bananas."

"Anything else on my tray?"

"Tomatoes."

"Perfect." Gaila turned to the cadet and said, "Yes, let's share." The oblivious cadet grinned and leaned forward, giving Gaila the perfect angle for her to push his face into her soup.

"Don't you dare interrupt our special time ever again!" she hissed once the cadet managed to free himself from Gaila's grasp, the creamy bisque dripping off his face and all over his uniform.

When Gaila looked up, both Spock and Nyota seemed amused. Nyota even nodded at her.

***


	4. Chapter 4a

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Both positive comments and concrit were very helpful. I have to admit this was written for fun but I've become a little more invested in this as readers seemed to be more invested than I anticipated. I look forward to hearing what you think and while cutting off the chapter where I do may raise some questions about Gaila, don't worry - the next post is looooong and explain-y and hopefully, satisfying. But if not, I again welcome your thoughts. Thanks for reading!**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor profit from ST.

***

**Chapter 4a – Naked**

Gaila was morosely slurping her soup through what she called a boba straw. Spock could not find the word "boba" in her dictionary. He wanted to ask her for an explanation, but when he looked up, he concluded that Gaila was not currently inclined to provide any elucidation on the matter. He would have to remind himself to look it up on his PADD when he returned to his quarters.

Spock reached across the table and set the dictionary beside Gaila's elbow. She barely glanced at it.

He shifted in his seat. If he had been anything but Vulcan, he might have said he was uncomfortable. Gaila was usually not this quiet.

Not clear how to proceed, Spock merely picked up his spoon and began eating his own soup. He eyed Gaila's boba straw though, marveling at how much more efficient it was for consuming even what the outdoor café called "chunky" soups. A normal straw would have been defeated by his own chunky minestrone. Spock sat up straighter. Did he just indulge in the use of figurative language? As strange as it seemed, his relationship with Gaila had lead him to engage his human side more often. He decided to allow it to lead him now.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gaila raised an eyebrow at his query. "No, I was just thinking," she said flatly after a moment.

Spock lifted an eyebrow in return. "Silently? In your head?"

"Yeah, maybe you've noticed that some of your Vulcanism has had an effect on me." _Sluuuuurp. "_Oh sweet Zeos! Just take the straw and use it yourself!" Gaila plucked the straw from her soup and handed it over to Spock.

Spock regarded the straw for a moment. It was translucent except for some vertical purple stripes that ran around its circumference. He placed it in his own soup and sucked. His mouth was suddenly filled with tomato-based broth, two types of beans, green peppers, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, pasta and seasoning. It was a pleasant if not almost too sudden infusion of flavor. However, as he pulled his lips back from the straw, he tasted something foreign and unappetizing. He almost wanted to frown.

"Well?" Gaila asked, tapping her lacquered fingernails against the tabletop.

"Next time we dine out and enjoy soup, I propose that we each have our own boba straws. I do not find flaw with the method but the aftertaste of your lip gloss is not preferable."

***

Spock knocked on the door of Room 8 in Dormitory 6. He hoped Gaila would not answer the door naked again. In preparation, he tilted his head slightly upwards so when the door slid open, he would be looking towards the ceiling. He had yet to discern a logical pattern on it – this was as good of a time to study it as any other.

"Lieutenant!"

Even without looking down, it was apparent that Gaila had not answered the door. Gaila had not called him by his ranking since the first day they met.

"Cadet Uhura. You are not…" He hoped this was not an inappropriate question but he also needed to know the answer before he could proceed. "…naked, are you?"

"Uh, no?"

"Good," Spock nodded, tearing his eyes from the strange ceiling pattern and looking down at Cadet Uhura.

"Good?"

Spock blinked. She sounded slightly offended.

Spock wasn't sure how to respond. He decided on misdirection. He brought his hands forward from where they were positioned behind his back. "It is my understanding that here on Earth, many Terrans celebrate the holiday season by giving gifts. I wanted to bring by a gift."

"Oh." Nyota smiled tightly and waved a hand behind her. "Gaila's asleep. I guess you can put that on her desk."

"Thank you. And where would you like me to put your gift?"

Nyota's eyes widened and the color of them changed – it looked like the term "lighting up." Spock made a mental note to read about this phenomenon. "You got me a gift?" she asked in a near whisper.

"Yes. Since I was bringing a parting holiday gift for Gaila, it seemed most inappropriate to not bring one for you."

"But we are not even allowed to be friends," Nyota replied with a sly look on her face.

"I have found that generosity can foster positivity. Perhaps you and Gaila just need a motive for overcoming your differences." Spock held out the gift he had procured for Nyota.

She reached out and took it from him. She fingered the carefully wrapped package in a very human way before glancing up with wide eyes and asking, "Can I open it?"

"Of course. It is for you."

"I mean," she said, glancing down. "Can I open it _now_?"

"It would be my pleasure to know what you think of it."

He held on to Galia's gift while Nyota slowly and carefully slid her fingers under the wrapping to unravel it. Captain Pike was the one who admonished him when he found out that Spock had not planned on giving Gaila a gift and he was the one who also insisted that if Spock was going to drop it off at her dorm room, he should also give something to her roommate so she wouldn't feel left out. Spock didn't think it was logical for Nyota Uhura to feel "left out" as Pike termed it since they were not even friends, but Pike reminded Spock that Gaila's roommate was human after all. Spock gave in to Pike's vague reasoning and while he didn't expect Nyota to be particularly enthusiastic about her gift, he also didn't expect the look of confusion on her face. He felt…dissatisfied with her reaction.

"It's…it's…boba straws?"

"Yes," he responded a bit shortly. "They are very efficient for drinking soup."

"For drinking…?" Nyota's look of confusion melted away and she started to laugh. Spock felt his dissatisfaction dissipate too.

"Spock, whoever taught you that?" She asked with no small amount of wonder.

"Gaila. Is she incorrect about its usage for drinking soup? I find using boba straws very effective."

"Lieutenant, that's very…endearing…"

"Endearing? Do you mean the adverb of the transitive verb endear, to cause to become beloved or admired?" Spock blinked at this. That was not what he had meant to do but he found himself watching Nyota blush on the apples of her cheeks instead of clarifying himself.

She looked down for a moment before looking back up at him through her lashes. "You sound like Gaila."

Spock noted that she had avoided the question. Otherwise, he would have questioned her further since he was not sure how boba straws could be endearing – first, they were inanimate objects and second, it just seemed illogical that straws, even boba straws, could have such an effect. Never mind he found himself oddly distracted by the unreadable look she was giving him.

Spock did not know how long he stood there looking at her – his internal clock seemed out of order – but he suddenly realized he should say something in reply. "Well, I would advocate the use of such straws in the manner I described. I think you may find it enjoyable." He paused, wondering if his response was even on point. He did not know and decided to simply push on. "I also got you another gift." He gestured towards the middle of the straws. "I thought the boba straws were sufficient but I saw this and thought of you. I found it appropriate if not as thoughtful." His mother had also taught him that with a woman, there should always be a backup plan. Of course he had replied that with anything, there should always be a backup plan.

Nyota turned the cluster of straws around a bit, trying to see where the other gift was exactly. She squinted for awhile before she saw it. Using her finger, she dug in and pulled out the star pendant tied by its chain around a group of straws. Her gasp was more satisfactory.

"It's beautiful!" she breathed, eyes wide.

"Nyota means 'star' in your native language, if I am correct."

"Spock, I…" Nyota was leaning forward and Spock thought his heart rate was accelerating. He could not understand his reaction when suddenly a large yawn could be heard from the other side of the room.

Gaila.

They both stepped back from each other immediately. "I hope you enjoy your break, Cadet Uhura."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Spock. I hope you enjoy yours too. And…" They both looked over at the moving lump of blankets that could only be an awakening Orion. In flawless Vulcan, she said, "I am glad you are her friend."

Spock could not move for a moment but then, there was another loud yawn and Spock managed to nod his thanks before stepping around Nyota and towards Gaila's part of the room. "Gaila?" he called.

"Hold on, you old-fashioned alien, let me put on some clothes."

Odd. Gaila did not sound like she had been asleep at all. Spock looked up at the ceiling and waited, his hands behind his back again. Nyota cleared her throat and Spock looked at her from over his shoulder.

"My shuttle is almost here. I should go."

Spock nodded at her and she gave a little wave. "I hope to see you next semester."

"Same here, Ms. Uhura."

She smiled and then she was gone. The moment the door slid shut, Gaila stood up on her bed and glared at him. Spock had to avert his eyes but it was too late.

"What was that?"

"I thought you were going to put on clothing," Spock said, look studiously at the wall.

"Well, I _lied_, just like you did." Gaila was shaking with rage at his betrayal. She thought he was her friend and she just had to listen to _that _while suffocating under her blanket.

"Lied?" Spock swung his head around.

"Yes, you liar. Here –" Gaila reached down and grabbed her dictionary. She threw it at Spock's chest but he easily caught it in his hands. " –look up what it means! You might even find a picture of your face next to the definition!"

"I am sure I do not know what you are talking about."

"Look up 'denial' while you are at it then!"

"Gaila." Spock was starting to feel frustrated. "Vulcans do not lie."

"You and _her_!"

"If by her, you mean Cadet Uhura, I was merely exchange pleasantries with _her_."

"You also gave her a _gift! _But that's not as bad as your first offense!"

"It is not?" Spock was going to have to meditate longer than expected tonight.

"You were supposed to be my friend! Not her friend!"

"Gaila, this is not mutually exclusive," Spock reasoned.

"It is for me!" She was going to lose Spock, she was going to lose him, her best friend. Gaila hadn't cried since her father died but the tears threatened to burn down her cheeks any moment now.

"You presume too much in any case. Nyota Uhura and I are not friends."

"You two _want_ to be friends."

Spock did not know how to respond to such an accusation. It was not untrue. Yet, he did not have a rational basis for desiring a more intimate relationship with Nyota Uhura. They had barely interacted per Spock's decision to support Gaila and also, provide motivation for them to settle their differences.

"Gaila," he started, knowing he had to say something. He looked her in the eye and was startled to see the fear that resided there – the fear of losing _him_ of all people – and Spock knew that it did not matter what he wanted, he would continue to stand by Gaila. "I am _your _friend first and foremost – if you still want me to be."

Gaila sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm. It would have actually been more convenient for her if she were clothed right now. "Humans usually hug at this time."

"Neither of us is human." But Spock hugged her naked form anyway.

***


	5. Chapter 4b

**Disclaimer**: ST is not mine. I do not own or profit.

***

**Chapter 4b – Naked**

They had never gotten personal before. They had learned a lot of personal information about each other. Gaila knew that Spock drank approximately 12.34 cups of tea per day, he would rearrange his schedule on a warm day just to spend extra time with his face tilted towards the sun, his favorite brunch item was pancakes and he cut them into squares prior to consuming them, he slept on his stomach and he liked cats – even if he refused to admit it. In turn, Spock knew that the cotton fabric of Starfleet uniforms made Gaila itch, she disliked eating anything that was not symmetrical, she liked to climb trees and she preferred antique paper books to anything electronic but she could read binary code like it was her native tongue. Yet, for all that they knew about each other, they had never gotten personal.

After Gaila admitted she had no place to go for winter break, no former friends or family members to visit, Spock insisted that she join him on a trip to South America. "You will find it an enjoyable place to spend some of your non-academic time. It is both warm and green." Spock usually traveled alone on breaks but he didn't think he would mind having Gaila's company. They made plans then. Spock was going to visit Pike at his ranch in the Mojave Desert for a week and Gaila would take the shuttle to Los Angeles where Spock would meet her so they could catch the connecting shuttle to Brazil. Together, they would explore what little remained of the Amazonian rainforest and trek across the Cerrado expanse.

"Do not forget your dictionary" were Spock's parting words to Gaila. It was an unnecessary remark but it made Gaila smile. She always found Spock's jokes funny.

***

"I think we are _really _getting to know each other."

"Because we are naked."

"_NO_, because _YOU'RE _naked," Gaila crooned.

Her comment was met with silence. "You're not blushing, are you, Lieutenant?"

"I told you Vulcans do not suffer from modesty with regards to their physical appearance. Physical appearance is of no importance to us other than as indicators of good health." Still, his abdominal muscles twitched. Spock did not look down at the offending body part but kept his eyes trained on the sky. There were so few parts of Earth now where one could view the stars unhindered by light pollution. Though the view was different, the clarity of the sky reminded him of those nights when he would sneak out of his home and trek out to Vulcan's Forge. He would lay there for hours with the sand beneath him, the sky above, calculations sometimes running though his head, other times – idle dreams. He never told anyone about this illogical use of time.

"Well," Gaila said, eyeing Spock with a sidelong glance and feeling thankful that her night vision was so good, "I suppose you have to stand by your position. It was your stubbornness that got you in this situation anyway."

Spock again decided it best not to reply. Replying seemed to get him in…troubling circumstances. Instead, he picked up the line of questioning that they were engaged in before Gaila started mocking him.

"What other languages do you speak?"

"Orion, Akritirian, Standard – of course, and a smattering of Andorian, some Klingonese, Son'aian, and Tzenkethi."

"All major trading languages in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants."

"Nothing gets by you, Spock," Gaila said in a sing-song voice.

"Except Akritirian."

"Nothing gets by you," she repeated but without a trace of amusement.

Spock risked a glance at his companion. She was too far to reach – physically and figuratively. But he tried anyway. "I know a 'smattering' of Akritirian."

"You do?"

This seemed to peak Gaila's interest. Though she did not turn in his direction, the inflection of her voice was indicative enough.

"Yes." A meteor fell through the atmosphere – Spock followed it with his eyes.

"Well?" Gaila looked over at Spock. Even though she didn't want to have this conversation, she knew that they had to have it at some point and she was annoyed that he didn't even seem to be paying attention. Of course, knowing Spock, he was able to do twelve things at once so maybe he was.

And then, he turned, looked her in the eye and in that calm even voice of his, delivered the dirtiest Akritirian pickup line she had ever heard.

"Do you know what that _means_?" Gaila gaped.

"Of course I know what it means," he said as though he had merely asked her to pass the salt.

"But how…" She could not get the question out.

"How did _you _learn it?"

"I should be asking how you learned that!"

"Are you blushing?" Spock tilted his head. She looked faintly bluish.

"_NO!_"

"I believe you are. I admit, it does not fit the Terran definition of 'becoming red in the face, especially from shame, modesty or confusion' but –"

"But I can't believe you _said _that!" Gaila squirmed uncomfortably. She almost wished Spock could be a normal male and look at her breasts instead of staring intently at her face.

"Would it be more comfortable for you talk about how you learned Akritirian?" His voice was as smooth as ever.

Gaila narrowed her eyes. "Did you just trick me?"

"Did I?" he asked mildly.

Gaila sighed. She was a terrible influence on him. She allowed herself a small smile as she turned her head away from him and looked back up at the stars. Some days, all she wanted was to get back to them. On other days, she enjoyed being here on Earth, grounded. Lately, she was not sure about anything except Spock. Spock – she knew she could trust him with this.

"My hair…" she began, reaching up and touching it. She twirled a single curl around her middle finger. "…it's an unusual texture and color for an Orion. My clan mother knew I was going to fetch a good price for her once I grew up. Contrary to popular reports, Orion girls aren't generally sold in the free market. They may be traded amongst Orions, between ships and colonies, but they are not generally sold to off-worlders. We first have to be trained and indoctrinated with the principles of our culture…of our _trade_. Once we are, we are worth _a lot_ more. We bring in a constant stream of revenue to our clan. An early sale could be a loss for the clan – loyalties can be changed so easily."

"But I was always a troublemaker." Gaila smiled ruefully in the night. "I was fascinated by how things worked and would take apart anything I could get my hands on and try to put it together again. I would skip dance lessons to play with the computer systems. I drove my clan mother mad. When I was five, she decided I was more trouble than I was worth and she was short on credits anyhow."

Spock felt himself tense. Five was a young age. She could have ended up anywhere. But she was here now so he tried to make himself relax and give her his full attention.

"What is the Terran phrase for it?" She said it in Akritirian but Spock did not know it. She tried it in Orion.

"Lucky," Spock suggested.

"Having or resulting from favoring chance." She rolled this off her tongue before deciding it would fit. "Yes, I would say that is about equivalent. Reiya didn't care who she sold me to. The highest bidder would get me. I remembered standing on that platform, looking out at a crowd of mercenaries and transients. I still remember their faces. But it was an Akritirian who submitted the highest bid and won. I had heard that those who were no longer part of the Empire were terrorists. Shows what we all know about other species. He was probably the kindest person I've ever met. He had left his planet and joined a trading ship that specialized in computer parts. Of course, like most trading ships, they traded whatever they could get their hands on. Anyway, he was passing by the auction when he saw me, used all his credits because he couldn't imagine a young girl being sold as a slave to a Klingon. He adopted me as his own, taught me everything I know. Well, maybe I learned some hacking on my own," Gaila added with a smile in the dark before it slipped from her face.

"His first gift to me was this dictionary." Gaila reached out and ran a finger along its spine. It didn't matter if she was naked and had nowhere to put her book – it would always come with her. "He had to trade some of his own possessions to buy us food and clothing for me to wear. We were checking out when he saw this book. Thought maybe it would be a good idea to teach himself and me some Standard. We would read the dictionary together even though we didn't understand any of it for awhile. I'm still learning." She paused, licking her lips. She hardly thought of the past and had no reason to talk about it out loud. But when she did, she reverted to Akritirian so even her linguistically talented roommate did not know what she was saying. Somehow, it felt different to say it in Standard, to translate it, to make it more than she usually allowed. But Spock – he should know this about her. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "He died when I was sixteen. It was a slow death. Watching the only person you care about wither away is something I would not wish on even my worst enemy." She clutched onto the spine of the book. "It was two years ago last November."

Spock looked over at Gaila. She was so still, so unlike herself that it was eerie. Spock had accepted Gaila's emotionalism as part of her Orion upbringing – they were taught to be expressive, though what they expressed was not always what they felt. However, Spock had come to believe that Gaila – freed from a life of slavery – was able to and did express herself openly and truly. For someone as social and vibrant as she was, for someone quite the opposite of him, Gaila had displayed a distinct lack of security in the last couple of months and was almost isolated in her distress. But now, hearing her tale explained to Spock why she was so morose, why she was so vulnerable and so protective of their friendship. Yes, Spock thought with a slight nod of his head, theirs was a relationship beyond mentor and mentee, it had evolved into a friendship based on respect and empathy. "Gaila, I grieve with thee."

"I know."

It was quiet for a moment, the stars spinning above them, before Gaila started talking again. "He told me I was bright and I could do something with my life. He had saved enough credits for me to live on for a few years but he said I could do better than a trading ship. We were at an outpost near Orion about a year later. I hadn't been _near _Orion since I was sold. It made me uneasy – I know, no logical reason for me to even feel anything at all – but I just wanted to leave. I had little say in the matter though. Especially with Vek dead. And they were selling parts to anyone – just the highest bidder. It made me realize that though we weren't enslaving people or causing wars, we were complicit by turning a blind eye, complicit in matters that could ruin lives that were once as fragile as mine."

"There was a Federation ship there too. I heard of the Federation of course and though other crew members made fun of it – of its utopian peacekeeping mission – I think I believed in it before I was drawn in by the beauty of the ship I saw. Don't you think starships are beautiful, Spock?"

Spock hadn't expected that question. He had been drawn in by her story, by the tragedy of her youth, the complications of her life before she came to Starfleet. She had seemed so strong and cheerful – it was a wonder what stories people had to tell. As for starships, they were built well for their functions or they weren't. He supposed, however, that a starship could be impressive to behold and he assented to her description. "Yes, a Federation ship is beautiful. I have not seen the new class of ships they are designing but I imagine they will be even more pleasing to the senses."

Gaila laughed. "Probably. But even the pre-Constellation models were enough for me. It was at least three times the size of ours. I could only imagine what its engineering deck looked like. I wanted to take a look…" Gaila grinned as she related the story. "So, I hacked into the computer systems and got myself into engineering. I got in and out without any problem but apparently, they caught a glimpse of me on one of the security cameras. I could have been any Orion if it weren't for my hair. It wasn't that hard to find me. When they did, they asked me if I wanted to join Starfleet. I didn't have to think twice."

"That was brave of you. To leave everything behind to come here to live amongst humans," Spock commended, hardly thinking that he too had done just that.

But Gaila did think of that. "What about you? A Vulcan amongst humans! That has to be even harder!" She didn't care what humans said about Vulcans. Their ability to control their expressions did not preclude the existence of emotions – however hidden or suppressed they were. Indeed, history suggested that Vulcans felt quite strongly. And this was _Spock. _She knew he had to understand what it felt to be lonely, to be isolated and unable to connect.

"While there are some cultural barriers between humans and Vulcans that make it more difficult for a Vulcan to live amongst them, my heritage has introduced me to some of the differences between the species, providing me an advantage that you, as an Orion with your particular history, did not have when you entered Starfleet."

"Heritage? You mean, that Vulcans had contact with Terrans before Orions did? I think you are using the wrong word." Gaila grabbed her dictionary. "Heritage means…oh, I think you can use it in that context. However…"

She was still reading when Spock interrupted and said, "Yes, but what I was referring to was my human heritage."

"Your…_what_?"

"My mother is human."

"Your…_WHAT_?" Gaila's voice echoed across the Cerrado.

***

Gaila pulled at the hem of her dress. She had purchased this especially for Spock's graduation. It was longer than her uniform skirt which she was sure Spock would appreciate – especially since his parents were here on Earth to attend their son's ceremony. She twirled around in the mirror, the lavender A-line skirt floating up slightly. She smiled at her reflection before slipping into a pair of white heels and grabbing the bouquet of flowers she had picked just for him. Gaila was always receiving flowers from male suitors. She gleaned that this was a sign of affection so it seemed proper to give Spock flowers as well.

The ceremony was insufferably boring as she expected. She winked and smiled at anyone who looked her way which helped pass the time. When Spock's name was called, she stood up and clapped and cheered wildly like all the other human relatives that were there for their son or daughter. She noticed Pike laughing at her antics but she also saw a man turn around with what she might consider a frown if it hadn't been for the fact he was Vulcan.

He was a regal looking man, tall and imposing, but not handsome in the way Gaila thought his son was handsome. Spock certainly had the long face and the ears but his features were softer, less harsh. When the ceremony was finally over and family members and friends could personally congratulate the new graduates, Gaila bounded over to hug Spock. He gave in only after a little resistance.

"And here, I brought you flowers as a sign of my affection!" Gaila smiled widely as she handed them to him.

"Thank you, Gaila." Spock took the flowers from her and stepped back to introduce his parents. "My mother, Amanda Grayson, and my father, Ambassador Sarek. I believe I have mentioned Cadet Gaila before," Spock said to his parents. He had, in fact, mentioned he was serving as a mentor to a cadet pursuant to Starfleet's instructions. He had failed, however, to warn them properly. He was so used to Gaila's exuberance around him these days that it did not occur to him to explain her behavior.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gaila. Spock did not tell me how beautiful you are," Amanda said, stepping forward, ever the charmer.

Gaila smiled winningly. "Oh, well you know how Spock doesn't think about these things. It doesn't even matter if I'm naked!"

Spock did his very best not to blink. Or move. Or anything.

"And I can see where Spock gets his beauty from, Lady Amanda. I knew the second I saw Ambassador Sarek that it had to come from you!"

No blinking, no moving, no anything, Spock thought to himself. Certainly, he wasn't going to look at his father, but his mother was laughing so at least someone was amused by this.

"And you smell nice too! Your son smells very nice but it's not quite the same scent." And of course, Gaila had to start sniffing his mother's hair but when the Orion started moving towards his father, he knew he had to intervene – even if it looked rude.

"Mother, father, would you like to get a drink? Oh, yes," Spock said without waiting for their replies. "Please proceed to the reception area to the right. I would like to dispense some final advice to Gaila before I depart."

He steered Gaila away from his parents. Once he was certain that they were no longer in hearing range, Spock leaned down to speak in the Orion's ear. "You have certainly left an impression upon my parents."

"Did I say something wrong?"

It wasn't that Gaila said anything _wrong_ exactly, but Spock still had to fight the urge to sigh. "No, but sometimes, you just make unexpected statements."

"I do that."

"Yes, you do." Spock stopped at a semi-isolated area and looked around. No one seemed to be paying them any attention. "At least you did not mention you have seen me naked."

"Why would I ever do that? Wow, that would be _embarrassing_."

"Indeed," Spock replied sardonically. "However, your statements and your exuberance are not always unappreciated. In fact, I very much appreciate your attendance today, your vocal support when my name was called and these…" Spock held up the flowers in his hand. "…signs of affection."

"I love you, Spock," Gaila blurted out in a way people did when they were drunk and vomiting.

Spock tilted his head to the side and regarded Gaila. "No, you do not."

Gaila stared back at Spock, surprised. No one has responded to her declarations of love in this manner before. Granted, Spock was the first and only Vulcan she had ever made this statement to but still, all the other recipients had parroted it back to her.

"I do not love you?" she asked, puzzled at his confidence regarding her feelings.

"Gaila, we are not human. We do not and cannot understand love in the human sense."

"Well, I'm sure your mother would _love_ to hear you say that!" Gaila rolled her eyes. "I've looked it up in the dictionary." Lifting up the hem of her skirt, Gaila pulled her trusty dictionary from where it was snugly held in place by her underwear. "My skirt is down again. You may look at me."

Spock ended his perusal of the ceiling above him and began, "Gaila, the definition of love –"

"Says the dictionary," Gaila spoke loudly over him. "Love is 'a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; attraction based on sexual desire; affection and tenderness felt by lovers; affection based on admiration, benevolence or common interests.' My affections are based on all of this – even sexual desire, though I won't tap you because it would just ruin everything."

"Tap me?"

"Spock, this is not the time for this."

"Not the time for what?" Spock was so confused that he couldn't even complete a full sentence. "Gaila, I do not follow you."

"How can you say what I feel for you is not love? None of the guys I've been with have contradicted me."

"Wait," Spock said, putting up a hand. "You have made this statement to other men."

Gaila arched an eyebrow at her companion. "Oh, so you can deny that I love you _and _tell me I can't feel it for other people, too?"

"What have these men said in return?" Spock had never inquired about Gaila's sex life. He understood that she was Orion and she had biological needs to fulfill that were quite different from his own. Though he would usually be averse to knowing any details about her sexual exploits, this was a different matter _entirely_.

"Well, _unlike_ you, mister, they did not deny I was in love with them. In fact, they said they loved me, too!" She crossed her arms in triumph.

"Do you believe them?"

"Of course, I do! Why wouldn't I?"

The question Spock was asking himself was why she _would_. Hers was a species that based their entire lives on deception. How could she not perceive the underhanded motives of these sex-crazed cadets? Pike often introduced undesirable news by first discussing pleasant, though unrelated, matters. This seemed like an illogical approach to Spock since it did not change the content of the news that needed to be delivered. Still, he decided to try his mentor's tactic on his own mentee. "Gaila," he began. "I want you to know that your intelligence has been determined by Starfleet's standardized testing to be superb, that your good humor has not been unwelcome and your beauty is undeniably unique."

"Spock, are you sure you don't love me?" Spock wasn't exactly waxing Terran poetry but as far as modern Vulcans went, Gaila was pretty sure that Spock was teetering on the edge of illogicalness.

"Gaila, this is not love in the human sense, and as much as I dislike causing you emotional turmoil, I do not believe your sexual partners love you in the human sense either."

Gaila furrowed her brow and consulted her dictionary again. She was pretty sure that her male partners were in fact sexually attracted to her. This seemed to fit the bill – what in the galaxy did Spock mean by love in the human sense? Then, like a lightening storm in space, it occurred to her. "You have a romantic definition of love, don't you?"

"Pardon?"

"You have a definition of 'love' that cannot be defined in a dictionary," she breathed in awe.

"Of course. Humans cannot define 'love' in terms that are readily understandable. There is too much variability and –"

"Oh, you poor, romantic, emotionally-suppressed Vulcan, you – I am going to miss you." Gaila threw her arms around him, crushing the flowers between them. "_And_,I do love you."

"No, you do not," Spock frowned, completely baffled. Still, he hugged her back in what might have been considered an affectionate manner.

***


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay. The holidays were really busy and I was working on "Labor of Love," a fic I wrote for the S/U Secret Santa ficathon. Thanks for your patience! And your impatience - it guilted me into working on this! Enjoy! Also, I am auctioning off fic to help Haiti - details at the end of the chapter!**

***

Chapter 5 – Midnight Counsel

Subspace communication had never left her wanting before. But that was prior to Spock. Prior to meeting him, prior to befriending him and prior to his relocation in distant space light years away. The _Exeter_ was so far into deep space that it took two Terran weeks for Spock's messages to reach her. Soon enough, the starship would enter further reaches of the quadrant and it would take nearly a month for any message to travel the distance.

Gaila sighed as her PADD showed nothing more than invites to this party and that party. Oh, Gaila liked a good party but she preferred reading an amusing message from Spock. Sometimes, his inability to grasp human nature made his letters unintentionally funny but at other times, she was certain he was wielding his acerbic wit like a well-aimed tractor beam.

As for tractor beams, Gaila frowned at her PADD – she had received a sub par score of 86% on her latest paper. She had argued that a tractor beam could be used to force an external object out of warp speed if both the vessel that initiated the beam and the object that was the target of the beam were traveling at the same speed. Her instructor had admitted that he was impressed with her bold thesis but told her that it was simply not possible – that such a notion was romantic and not worth wasting her time on.

It was true – such a thing was not possible with current technology but she didn't see why it wouldn't be possible one day. And sure, her argument was romantic – "having no basis in fact: imaginary; impractical in conception and plan; visionary; marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious or idealized" – but someone had to envision it first. Someone had to imagine a world that could only exist beyond their lifetime and then be nutters enough to pursue it even without tangible results. Zeos, wasn't that what the Federation was? Officially, it was an interstellar republic based on universal principals of liberty, rights and equality with a peace-keeping and humanitarian mission. But if _that _wasn't a romantic dream, she didn't know what was.

Gaila decided to write to Spock again even though she had not received his response to her last communiqué. Thinking about the paper had made her feel frustrated again. Her instructor had been small-minded and unwilling to listen to her counterarguments about why her paper deserved a higher mark and why it shouldn't have been dismissed as merely "romantic." She knew Spock would understand the logic of her arguments – and even if he didn't, he would pursue the matter further until he understood or had persuaded her of the logics of _his _arguments.

Early on in their relationship, Gaila had learned that Spock was quite open-minded and she had been ashamed to realize that she was so prejudiced that she had been surprised by it. She had voiced her consternation – as she was wont to do – but he had assured her that they all had weaknesses. "Recognizing them is the first step towards rectifying our flaws," he had said at the time. Maybe Spock had some advice for helping Instructor-Small-Mind see the light.

As Gaila laid on her bed composing her message, Nyota came in. "Hey, how are you doing?" she asked absent-mindedly. Nyota and she had hardly become best friends but ever since they returned from the break, they had tried to be at least civil to each other. This was all Spock's fault, of course.

"I just came back from the long range sensor lab."

Gaila hummed in response. She wasn't really listening. She was getting to her explanation of sheering forces on vessels being towed by tractor beams and was busy typing out her equations.

"Gaila."

"I'm sure it was really interesting." And of course, each equation had to include a component for frictional forces which varied considerably depending on the size of each object and the environment in which this would have to take place… She also had to reduce this to universal…

"Gaila," Nyota interrupted again.

Gaila put her PADD down in exasperation, wondering if Spock would frown if she dispatched her roommate through the window. "Nyota, I'm trying to compose a message to Spock. If you don't mind –"

"This is about Spock."

"Are we seriously having this conversation again?" Gaila pushed her fiery hair out of her eyes. "Look, I consider Spock to be more than a mentor. He's my friend and I care about him. So, I –"

"Gaila, _please_."

Gaila paused. Nyota _never _pleaded. "Well, that's a first," she muttered softly under her breath.

Seeing that she had the Orion's attention, Nyota forged on. "I know you care about Spock. So when I came across the message at the long range sensor lab, I knew…I had to come back and tell you myself. I didn't want you to learn any other way."

Gaila felt her stomach drop as though it had just pulled out of warp. "What happened to Spock?"

***

Gaila did not understand why humans would refer to the activity as a "midnight vigil" when clearly, one did not merely pack up and go home at midnight. At least, she wasn't going anywhere. Not until she heard about Spock, not until she knew he was safe.

By now, news about the _Exeter_'s encounter with two Klingon warbirds had spread throughout the Academy. As expected though, Starfleet had released little information about the incident. They indicated that the _Exeter _was intact, causalities were undetermined but updates were forthcoming. Everyone knew that such updates would be delayed and glossed over. And Gaila was not the type of girl to put up with such bullsh*t. Definitely not when it involved Spock.

Instead, she had camped out at the long range sensor lab to ensure that she would get all the latest and most detailed information. Because of whatever all-so-important work that was done in the lab, they didn't censor incoming transmissions. Gaila didn't know how Nyota got her permission to enter the lab, but it didn't matter – all that mattered was ensuring Spock was alright.

"How long have you been here?"

Gaila blinked. She didn't notice that Nyota had reentered the lab.

"Since I first came in."

"You mean, since Tuesday? That was three days ago!"

"I am aware of that," Gaila replied as she suppressed a yawn. She had been keeping tab on the passage of time so she knew to the exact millisecond how long she had been waiting for more news on Spock. Still, the days seemed to have blurred together in the grey room. The only thing that had color in the lab was her. And the Easy Cheese. She reached for it.

"Don't give me that Spockian response," Nyota frowned, hands on her hips.

Gaila paused in her movements to look at the other woman. "You mean, don't give you an honest response?" Humans were really baffling sometimes. If Nyota didn't want an honest response, why even ask her?

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant, that, oh never mind." Nyota threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. You haven't been around."

"I have been here."

"So, I've gathered. Anyway, I just…you know…" Nyota trailed off, looking downward and to the side.

Gaila frowned at her roommate's lack of coherency. "Nyota, you are a communications major, aren't you?"

Nyota's head snapped up. She leveled a fierce glare at the Orion. Gaila merely tilted her head in return. Nyota's look was rather impressive. Gaila was sure the other woman practiced it in the looking glass, but she didn't have time for this. She didn't want to miss a transmission while they had another illogical argument. And she really wanted some cheese! She leaned forward again to retrieve the can.

"What are you eating?" The disgust was evident in Nyota's voice.

Gaila looked at the can in her hand. She put the nozzle in her mouth and squeezed the processed cheese into it before replying, "Eaffy Zhese."

"Could you please not talk with your mouth full?"

"You didn't have to ask me a question while I was eating," Gaila replied after she had swallowed.

"Well, that canned cheese is disgusting."

Gaila frowned. Easy Cheese was Terran food, after all. And it was even more convenient than a replicator. All you had to do was pop the nozzle in your mouth and press – presto, cheesy goodness. As it said on the can, you can 'make anytime cheesy time.' "Have you even _tried _this before?"

Nyota's eyebrows shot up. "Of course not."

"You can't knock it until you try it, you know." She shook the can in front of Nyota's face.

"You can't get me to try that."

"It's Terran food!"

"It's like two centuries old! Are you even sure it's edible?"

"It has a nice tangy taste to it," Gaila sniffed. "And there's got to be a reason why these things have survived for so long."

"Yeah, they are not biodegradable," Nyota mumbled.

Gaila choose not to rise to the bait. Instead, she dug in her bag for more snacks. She pulled out a yellowish brick-shaped confection labeled "Twinkie" and tapped it smartly against the console. "Now, _this_ is probably two centuries old."

"Where did you even get all of this?"

"From the vending machine in the basement."

"The vend –" Nyota's eyes went comically wide. "They probably haven't restocked that for a century!"

"Hmm," Gaila murmured, looking at the "Twinkie" in her hand. "That's impressive. So these really aren't biodegradable? "

"We need to get you some real food."

"I can't leave."

"Okay, I'll get us some real food then."

Gaila's eyes snapped over to Nyota. "Why would you do that?"

Nyota looked away again. She didn't answer immediately but finally, she looked up again. "Because someone needs to make sure you're okay. And if something happened to the Lieutenant…you know…" She shrugged slightly, trying to seem nonchalance, but the moment was in fact too heavy for such gestures. "I want to be there for you."

***

After the dictionary, Vek obtained engineering reports in Standard for her to read. Then trading contracts, inventory lists, treatises and inter-galaxy reports. He only picked up a novel once. Gaila had turned it in her hands. "They apparently don't make these anymore. That is, they still write novels but they are all electronic now. It's a shame. I like the book format. And they have a picture of a girl on the cover. It reminded me of you." Vek was nearly blind by then so Gaila knew that he couldn't really make out what was exactly on the cover, other than a girl with fire-red hair. She knew that he didn't see what she saw – the human woman's head thrown back, her dress slipping off her shoulders and a muscular companion in the background. "The trader I got it from called it a Romantic novel."

"An artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe. It was a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature," Gaila supplied automatically.

"Yes," Vek had agreed. "I hear those novels are meant to provoke strong emotional responses by forcing their protagonists – and the readers – to confront the sublime. It should make for an interesting read."

"I'm sure it will." Gaila tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "Thank you, Papa."

Later, when Vek was asleep and all the rewiring had been completed, Gaila's curiosity lead her into the world of a Harlequin Romance novel. It wasn't exactly a memorable read and there were a number of preposterous situations – but what stood out for Gaila was the relationship between the main character, Rita, and her best friend, Bunny. Rita and Bunny discussed everything – things Galia intuited that only females could discuss with each other. Prior to reading this book, Gaila never felt the need for a female confidante. Back on Orion, your fellow clan sister was not your support but your competition. Gaila had welcomed the opportunity to have a confidante in Nyota. But that was not to be.

Especially since Nyota seemed to be a drooler. She tried to gently nudge the woman off her shoulder but Nyota only snuggled closer and murmured, "Hmmm…warm."

Gaila rolled her eyes. Didn't she tell Spock that humans were attracted to warmer species? Gaila had been trying to expand the sensor's range – seriously, wasn't this supposed to be top-of-the-line equipment? – and she was able to do most of the reprogramming with Ms. Drool on her shoulder but now she had to reach under the console to reboot it.

Gaila tried pulling away again but Nyota only held on tigher. The Orion sighed – she felt bad about waking Nyota up but there didn't seem to be another alternative. She poked her firmly in the shoulder but Nyota only giggled, "Oh stop it, Spock."

Gaila arched an eyebrow. "Well, that's interesting." She didn't peg Nyota as a giggler. Dreaming about Spock – well, that happened.

She tried another tactic. "You know, I've seen Spock naked."

"What?" Nyota sat up so fast she slipped off the chair.

"Whoops." Gaila tried not to laugh but she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she got up to help her roommate.

"What happened?"

"Sorry, I was trying to wake you up so I could reach underneath the console. I didn't think you would fall out of your chair."

Nyota blinked sleepily at her and ran a hand through her for-once less-than-perfect hair. "Did you say something about Spock?"

"Oh yeah, just that I've seen him naked," Gaila shrugged and reached under the console to do a manual reboot.

"Seriously?" Nyota squeaked behind her.

"Uh huh. And boy, is that something to drool over."

"So…you and him have been…intimate?"

Gaila felt around for the right switch. "Hey, could you hand me a laser light? I can't see anything down here. And isn't 'intimate' an old-fashioned phrase for sex?"

"Oh…so you and him…I guess it makes sense."

No laser light seemed to be forthcoming. Gaila slid out from under the console. Nyota sat slumped in one of the lab chairs, the nozzle of the Easy Cheese canister in her mouth. "Are you actually eating in Easy Cheese?"

Nyota didn't answer. Instead, she tipped her had back and squeezed the processed cheese in her mouth.

"You know, the design of the can does not require you to invert it."

"It's more pleasurable this way," she mumbled around a mouthful of processed cheese.

Well, Gaila knew shouldn't judge anyone on where they got their kicks from – but seriously, Nyota could use some more excitement in her life. Gaila grabbed her PADD and used the light from it to complete her task. After she was finished, she slid out from under the console again and checked the readings range.

Gaila frowned – "I was only able to increase the range by 600 light years. I was going for 800, though I supposed they wouldn't even be that far out." Gaila ran some calculations through her head but she was unexpectedly interrupted by Nyota.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Who?"

"Oh c'mon." Nyota put down the now empty Easy Cheese canister. "You and Spock!"

"We're not together."

"But you just implied you've had sex with him."

"No…" Gaila was pretty sure she never made such an implication. Moreover, she had no reason to – Spock and her were purely platonic. "I said I've seen him naked."

"How's that different?"

Gaila opened her mouth to respond but she stopped herself. Spock was really becoming too good of any influence, even when he was not around. Usually she would have blurted out exactly what she thought and that had gotten her in trouble with Nyota before. She really thought humans received sex education in their adolescence but if Nyota didn't know the difference between seeing a person naked and sex – obviously, she hadn't been educated about this. Well, Gaila thought, she may not know everything about humans but she understood how sex worked between them. "I think in your parlance, you call it 'the birds and the bees,'" she began. "I read this in a romance novel – the character, Bunny – she's not actually a 'bunny,' she's just named one… Well, she tells her friend, Rita, about the birds and the bees. See, when you have sexual intercourse –"

"Gaila, what are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to explain sex to you. This is harder than I thought it would be," Gaila frowned, scratching her head. "Especially since I can't physically demonstrate it."

"No, no, no," Nyota cried, standing up and waving her hands. "No physical demonstrations."

"Didn't I just say I can't?"

Nyota let out a deep breathe. "Sorry, I overly reacted."

"Yeah…" Gaila was amazed how different Nyota seemed to her these past few days as they sat here, waiting for news about Spock. She was not sure if Nyota was actually different or if she was just getting to know the human female better. Last semester, she could never imagine Nyota admitting any fault but she supposed, some journeys weren't always obvious.

"It's just that…I didn't realize you and Spock were an item."

"Item. Object of attention, concern or interest. A couple in a romantic or sexual relationship. A separate – Sorry!" Gaila said, stopping herself abruptly. "It's a habit."

"I've noticed," Nyota replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Are you a compulsive eater? I think we are learning a lot about each other. Well – maybe I'm learning a lot about _you_."

"What do you mean?" Nyota asked, looking at Gaila. "No, I'm not a compulsive eater."

Gaila arched her own brows. "Honey, you just ate that two hundred year old Twinkie."

Nyota blinked and looked at the empty wrapper on her lap. "Oh."

"This is about Spock." It was a statement, not a question, and Nyota did not deny it. Gaila leaned back in her chair and pressed her lips together. She loved Spock – contrary to what the Vulcan himself believed. And she could not ask for a better mentor or friend. But Nyota knew very little about Spock. "Why are you so interested in him? I mean, I _know_ his language abilities would be useful to you but you seem more invested in him than that."

"I…" Nyota began but trailed off as she looked around the lab, at anything but her. "Look, there's almost no one as excited about languages as I am. I mean, the rest of the xenolinguists love languages, love learning them, love talking in them, but they don't quite appreciate the stories behind them, the culture, the meaning of each and every nuance. When I first spoke to Spock, he _understood_. And he had so many interesting things to say. Do you realize how much he knows? I mean, his _brain_!"

Gaila blinked. Nyota's eyes were glazing over as she thought about Spock's brain. That was one serious brain crush. Gaila, of course, appreciated Spock's intelligence but there were many other things she appreciated about Spock – his dry humor, his abs, his own brand of adventurism, his abs. She supposed Nyota would have appreciated these aspects of Spock too, if only she had allowed it.

"Hey, Nyota…"

"Look, I know now that Spock is…yours…I just didn't realize. I didn't think that Vulcans and Orions were compatible. I apologize."

"You know," Gaila said, smiling as she thought of her outburst when she first found out Spock was supposed to be her mentor, "I didn't think Vulcans and Orions were compatible either. And we aren't – in that way, at least. Spock and I are just friends; we're not involved in either a romantic or sexual relationship."

"But you've been intimate," Nyota replied slowly, cautiously.

"No, no, honey, seeing someone naked is not the same thing as having sex. Let me explain, so, the birds and the bees…they…well, so the bees, you know, pollinate –"

"Hold on, hold on, I don't need sex explained to me."

"Are you sure?" Gaila doubted this. Nyota seemed quite confused a few moments ago.

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"But why do you keep thinking I've been 'intimate' with Spock?"

"Well, how else did you see him naked?"

Gaila leaned back and laughed. Recalling what Spock had said about humans and rules of common decency, she asked, "Do humans only see each other naked to have sex?"

"Well, not always, I guess, but usually."

"Oh! Hmm, that explains a bit."

Gaila continued thinking about this but Nyota apparently wasn't interested in considering it. "Spock?" she prodded.

"Oh, yes, how I saw him naked!" Gaila grinned. "Because he's a stubborn fool! He told me that Vulcans weren't concerned with modesty and when we were backpacking in Brazil, we got caught in a rainstorm. He was going to change into a different set of clothing but I told him there was no need to be modest. I may have phrased it in a way so he couldn't back out of it," she finished smugly.

"Oh."

Nyota's face didn't exactly brighten but it relaxed. Zeos, she must have some crazy crush on Spock, Gaila thought.

Just then, they both heard static on the receiver. Gaila swung around and tapped into the transmission.

"_Starbase 12 – Medical Bay. Reporting on crew of the Exeter._"

Gaila and Nyota crowded the console, leaning in close, as though it would bring them closer to the news they wanted to hear. The report started top-down and it took a while to reach junior-grade officers.

"Maybe he's alright. Maybe we won't even hear his name at all." Nyota whispered in the room, as though the sound of her voice would shatter an illusion of safety.

"_Lieutenant Spock._"

Gaila and Nyota shared a look before turning back to the console – the sound emitting from it somehow writing a fate for them, even from so far away. Even though fate had perhaps been written already.

"_Critical condition. Radiation exposure. Severe laceration to the chest. Lacerations on face. Still unconscious._"

Gaila took in a sharp breath. "I'm going to Starbase 12."

"So am I," Nyota said beside her.

***

When Spock surfaced from his healing trance, he thought perhaps the medical team had treated him with medication that did not agree with his system. Because on the side of his bed sat Gaila and Nyota Uhura, heads close together, holding hands. He could not fathom how he would even unconsciously come up with such a scenario. However, as he sat and pondered this, the girls started talking and Spock thought the possibility this was not some medicated-induced dream was less than 3.8 percent.

"I appreciate how Spock looks at my face – not my legs."

"Oh, he looks at your legs as you walk away."

"He does not!"

Gaila snorted. "And I'm sure the only thing you check out on the Lieutenant is his brain scans."

"Well, I can't help it if he is…fit."

"You know we can see how fit he is if we lift up this blanket."

Gaila made an exaggerated motion with her hand. It did not matter if this was simply a dream – Spock would not allow this. As he struggled to sit up, Gaila turned to him with a sly smile. "Oh, you're finally awake."

Spock blinked at her. She didn't seem to be a figment of his imagination. He peered over Gaila's shoulder at a stunned-looking Cadet Uhura. "You knew I was awake," he stated.

"Nothing gets by you, sunshine. The doctor said you'll need plenty of rest but you should be fine. Though, you're on the inactive duty list for a while. Four months without me and this is what happens to you!" Gaila patted Spock gently on his blanket-covered leg. She wanted to take his hand but knew that his mental shields were probably down and handling her jumble of emotions would be too much for him.

"It is eleven-hundred hours. You should be in class."

Gaila rolled her eyes. "So, we missed a little class."

"You enjoy class."

"No, I _love _class. And so does Nyota. But you know, _you_ are more important to both of us. And if you think playing hooky – that is, skipping class – was something –"

"We have permission," Nyota interrupted. She held up her PADD.

Gaila placed a hand in front of Nyota's face without turning. "Well, Nyota here ate a two-hundred-year-old Twinkie for you!"

Spock blinked again, not sure how to process this information. Maybe this was not real after all.

Gaila winked at him and stood up. She took Nyota by the hand and pulled the other woman towards Spock.

"I'll be back. I'm going to get us pancakes but don't worry about being caught in an intimate position, I'll be awhile – Spock needs his cut into squares." With those parting words, Gaila exited Sickbay.

Once she was past the doors, Gaila sighed – Spock was going to be okay, Spock was going to be okay. The doctors eventually came to this conclusion but she refused to budge until she knew for sure. Now that she knew, she was so happy, she could fly. Like a squirrel.*

*Gaila sees a squirrel go up a tree in Chapter 2 and thinks it is "flying."

***

I am auctioning off fanfic for **help_haiti **over at LJ. The winning bidder may set the terms of the fic they want me to write (tone, what you want, what you don't want) so long as it conforms with the details below. You must bid by January 20th at noon (Eastern Standard Time). If you're interested, please go to my profile page or message me. I tried giving the direct link for the bidding but for some reason keeps deleting half of it.

**I am offering**: fanfic of at least 1,000 words (under 10,000)

**Fandoms**: Star Trek XI (Spock/Uhura - but I will try my hand at Pike/Number One, Sulu/Rand, Spock/T'Pring and gen about any character), Harry Potter (Draco/Astoria, Draco/Ginny, gen about any character)

**What I do not write**: smut, incest, rape, slash (I have nothing against it, but you'd probably not want to read my attempt at it)

**Starting Bid**: $5

If you are not sure what you want conforms, just ask. For instance, if you want me to pair Gaila with someone, just let me know and I'll try to respond prior to the deadline. Thanks!


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